As is well known, most roof surfaces generally are sufficiently steep that roofers, who must move about thereon for a variety of reasons, must be continuously alert to the danger of slipping and falling. Over the years, many roof scaffold devices have been proposed in the prior art to reduce these dangers.
However, a steep roof presents several problems for roofers which do not appear to be adequately addressed by these prior art devices. One problem is that with these devices the roofer is required to rigidly fasten the device to the roof with nails, then, when the device needs to be moved the nails are removed and the device is reattached to the roof. This process is time consuming and risks the integrity of the roof. Another problem is the safety of these devices. First, the roofer must connect the device on the pitched roof while in a precarious position, then, when the device is to be moved the roofer must repeat this process, increasing the risk of falling. In addition, the prior art devices do not provide any railing to aid the roofer while working.
It would be a benefit, therefore to have a roof scaffolding system that permits a roofer to suspend the device from a single position approximate the peak of the roof. It would be an additional benefit to have a roof scaffolding device that may be moved both longitudinally and laterally upon the roof without having to disconnect the device from the roof. It would be further benefit that provides side rails which aid the roofer in moving upon the roof. It would be a still further benefit to have a device providing a cross rail to prevent a roofer from falling from the device. It would be a still further benefit to have a device that prevents small items from falling from the work area.